The invention relates to the combination of a beach towel that is convertible to a carrying bag, for use in transporting personal items to enhance one's visit to the beach. Often times when one wishes to visit a beach it can be a day long venture which, for convenience, requires the transporting of a number of items, such as a radio or similar entertainment system, food, keys, suntan lotion, extra towels, and the possibility of toys to entertain children.
There are a variety of prior art devices to assist the beach goer as reflected in the following U.S. Patents, but none offer the convenience, use and ease of set-up as found in the present invention. Such prior art patents are as follows:
a.) U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,374, to Buhyoff, discloses a beach towel constructed with a polygonal center panel from which extend separate trapezoidal panels to create a towel with a substantially polygonal perimeter. The panels are sewn together to provide a strong reinforced structure, and a drawstring around the perimeter permits conversion of the towel into a bag-like structure. PA1 b.) U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,541, to Landon, discloses a portable sand blanket with associated toys including a blanket formed in a flat circular configuration of a durable plastic material, the blanket having six holes therethrough located at essentially equally spaced locations adjacent to the periphery, grommets positioned through the holes of the blanket and a single rope in a circular configuration threaded sequentially through the holes and grommets, where the rope extends on the upper and lower surfaces of the blanket alternatively. The blanket further includes a central container for sand, and associated tools. PA1 c.) U.S. Pat. No. 5,187,823, to Ferguson et al., discloses an article capable of being configured as a blanket or tote bag. The article is made of a fabric piece having two opposing arcuate fabric channel halves secured to the lower surface thereof, facing each other. The channel halves define a generally circular channel in the center of the fabric piece. Gaps between the opposing ends of the fabric channel halves expose at least one and preferably two separate continuous ropes which pass through the channel. The fabric piece has a generally circular central portion of smaller diameter than the channel, with at least one retaining loop secured near the circumference thereof. A carrying bag may be formed by folding those portions of the fabric piece which are outside the channel upwardly and in towards the center of the fabric piece, thereby exposing the ropes in the gaps, by then pulling the ropes to bunch the fabric channel halves thereon, and by then routing the pulled ropes through at least one retaining loop and tying them to define a carrying loop in the fashion of a shoulder strap. PA1 d.) U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,978, to Ostrowski, discloses a towel bag combination which in the open position is used for towel or beach-type purposes and in the closed position is an enclosed bag with a carrying strap. The towel bag combination comprises a circular fabric towel element with a reinforced peripheral web with draw holes in the web and a ring near the web, and with the bottom surface having a reinforced section and a loop secured thereto. The towel-bag apparatus also includes an elastic draw cord having a one and an other end and passing through the holes in the web and having the one and other end include a spring loaded clip. PA1 e.) U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,912, to Damus et al., discloses a beach towel which is selectively convertible to a beach bag wherein the towel has upper and lower surface portions having a generally annularly oriented pull cord substantially confined therebetween but extending outwardly on opposite sides of the towel so that as the outwardly extending portions of the pull cord are raised, the central portion of the towel surrounded by the pull cord will form a carrying pouch having an opening which is closed by the pull cord. PA1 f.) U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,029, To Tennant et al., discloses a towel convertible to a bag, comprising a circular section of woven terry fabric, with a circular section of woven nylon fabric having precisely one-fourth the area of the circular woven terry fabric attached to the inferior plane of the circular woven terry fabric, which has four sections of woven terry fabric cut on the bias and of equal lengths and widths attached along the perimeter on both the superior and inferior planes to form a casing encompassing a cotton cord or drawstring thereby allowing conversion of the fabrics into a bag. PA1 g.) U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,545, to Westgor, discloses a combination mat and carry bag unit including a sheet of pliable material defining a mat of a size to accommodate a person thereon for use as an exercise mat, beach mat or the like. The sheet has a drawstring casing extending about its periphery. The casing has two openings therein on opposite sides of the mat and a drawstring is received in the drawstring casing and is of a size to extend continuously about the periphery of the sheet where it defines a mat. The drawstring is slidably received in the drawstring casing so that when portions of the drawstring are pulled out of the drawstring casing through the two openings, the periphery of the sheet forms gathers adjacent the casing to permit the periphery to reduce in size whereby the unit forms a carrying bag.
The present invention includes some features of the prior art, but through the unique incorporation therein of new components or features results in a distinctly different combination that offers advantages not seen nor appreciated in the prior art. The manner by which these new advantages are realized will become apparent from the following description, particularly when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.